Browsing by Author "Tammi, Essi"

Aims. The new curriculum for primary schools emphasizes improvement of thinking skills and critical thinking which includes reflection skills. Several studies have proven that reflection enhances learning. Therefore, it is important to know how to promote it in primary schools. In this study, the theory is based on Jack Mezirow’s theory of critical thinking which is based on John Dewey’s observations from education and pedagogy. The aim for this study is to provide an overview of the research field considering the enhancement of pupils’ reflection skills, and also to provide concrete ways of action which have been proven to enhance pupil’s reflection. The purpose of this study is to provide the information needed about reflection for teachers, which they can utilize while planning the teaching. Methods. This study was conducted by integrative literature review examining different studies regarding reflective thinking and creating a synthesis from them. The data for this research consists of seven scientific articles, which dealt with promotion of reflection of primary school pupils (6 to 12-year-old). The data was collected from different electronic databases. Scientific articles were analyzed with content analysis, utilizing data based thematization. Results and conclusions. Based on the analysis, four different categories/themes considering promoting pupil’s reflection and reflective thinking skills were found. These were: support from teacher, concrethic working style, social interaction/communication with other pupils and verbalization of thinking and thinking out loud. The data for this study was only seven scientific articles, so it can be presumed that there might be more categories to be found in further studies. These themes though represent different dimensions of learning which can be actively implemented in classroom activities. Teaching which utilizes these themes will help pupils to enhance their reflection skills in primary schools. The results can be applied in practice, since the new curriculum also aims to reinforce thinking skills, such as critical and reflective thinking.